Broken Heartstrings
by SkittlesMcgee123
Summary: In the aftermath of the conflict, Ruby sets out with team RNJR and Qrow in search for Professor Ozpin. Yet when she strays in search for her friend Penny, can she convince her team to stay by her side? Will Penny understand Ruby, or will she find out the truth of what she did?
1. Empty Promises

**Prologue**

Ironwood paced his room frustratedly, like an inpatient father waiting for his child to be born. Occasionally, he'd glance at the blueprints lay scattered across his table, some crumpled up or torn apart in bitterness. All but one had been ignored, a final blueprint lay perfectly in the centre of the table. On it, the design of a small girl, no older than 15, was designed interictally, with all her wires, paint work, hydraulics and joints drawn and labelled with care. Her face was designed perfectly, a small button nose, freckles, and green eyes, almost seeming like a real life drawing than that of a robot. A smile of innocence was perfectly drawn onto the girl's face, causing a painful smile to pass his lips. His hand traced the pencil lines of her face as he grit his teeth, feeling the pain return to his stomach from the deep set resentment. In his notes, he stated that her design must be stronger, her code would be different, her knowledge on fighting would surpass any warrior. The picture of his daughter lingered in his mind, her leading the Atlan Army against the White Fang, until his resentment was replaced with pride. Her innocence wouldn't be her weakness, she could use it, make people misjudge her before she defeats them. Above the design, "PENNY POLENDINA-2.0" was written in bold lettering. He scowled, picturing the woman who had torn his daughter apart, exposing her as a robotic being who had been crept into the battle with an unfair advantage. He'd since heard that girl had been murdered by the same woman his daughter was supposed to protect the world from. Anger burnt in his stomach, frustration that she hadn't been given a chance to step up as the huntress that would protect them. She was taken too soon, and he was going to fix that. Glancing up at his desk led his eyes to a picture besides the blueprint. Slowly, he picked it up, examining it. The picture frame had since received a variety of scratches and bumps from his outbursts, the glass replaced an uncountable number of times. The aged photograph of a younger Ironwood stood proud, taken early into his military career, a stern look on his face as he kept his posture. Besides him stood a fair woman, a soft smile on her lips, holding onto his arm, as if trying to will a smile onto his face. James smiled momentarily, as he wished he could share her embrace one more time, without needing to stay collected. His gaze slowly moved to his leg, where a small girl with golden hair stood. She stood proud next to her father, attempting to mimic his military stand, with her hands firmly by her sides. Even so, her smile shone through the photo, her eyes lit up with unmistakable pride. A tear formed on the corner of his vision, as an ache settled in his throat, threatening to drag back the dark memories of their demise.

Behind him, the door knocked three times. He jumped, turning quickly and fumbling to place the picture frame back on the table, before straightening his jacket. He placed his arms behind his back and looked up, clearing his throat. "Come in" he commanded, watching the door as two soldiers walked in. One bowed his head, stepping to the side. "She is ready" he muttered, glancing behind him. Between them, a small girl stepped forward, a soft smile on her freckled face, a bow perfectly tied in her hair and a white and green dress covered her robotic body, she gave a small curtsy and looked up. "Salutations Father!" Penny gleamed.

 **Chapter 1 - Empty Promises**

The world could almost be described as peaceful, if you find the right places.

Silently, the leaves slowly fell to the ground in the fall months, signalled approach of the scenic winter as they gradually coated the ground in a crispy red blanket. Sweeping across the forest, the air was cool and sharp, with nothing but a light breeze to fill the silence. Dreamily, the young red red hooded female slipped through the trees, hiding her arms in her long satin cape. Smiling, the thought to herself how peaceful everything seemed, all it took was a brisk walk and you could kid yourself that everything was OK. Outside civilisation, the worries that would plague a person's conscience seemed non-existent. It was almost falsely reassuring, that if a place like this could be so peaceful, that everywhere else could seem the same. Ruby Rose noted the silence as she walked ahead. At first she assumed she was deep in thought, as she'd forgotten how long she'd been walking, but when she tried to recollect her thoughts, none came. The forests silence was so different to what she was used to, that it brought no memories to her, as she let herself be lost to the scenery. Heavy boots crushed the leaves underneath her, leaving her questioning if she was following a path, or if she was more lost than when she started. Watching the sky, to the tops of the trees, her eyes scoured the sky for hints of life. She was promised that her Uncle Qrow would guide the way, and yet she was left confused as to why she was left feeling alone, or at least, why he'd "walked ahead", as he'd assured her. There was no doubt in her mind that he had the ability to change into a bird, it was logical for her to assume that, but it still seemed silly to immediately look for a crow when she felt lost. His natural secrecy of his life had left many people, including her family, questioning his intentions, and yet it seemed that when he assured others, it left more questions unanswered. Ruby simply guessed that it was so, if he ever decided to hide, nobody would go looking for a crow, instead they'd go searching bars or clubs for him. Sighing, she shook her head, returning her gaze to the dry ground beneath her. If she was going in the wrong way, surely he'd come back to find her.

In their days travelling, Ruby had failed to convince the others to trust Qrow. She'd been travelling with Jaune, Ren and Nora for the past few days, and it felt like their scepticism would never shift. In a way, she didn't blame him, her uncle's drunken snarky attitude was any reason to doubt him, even her own father was guilty of that. However, she knew she trusted him, not because she didn't have a choice, but he was who she looked up to, who she idolised. From him taking a parental role when she lost her mother, to him spending years building weapons, training and fighting together, she knew that, behind that drunken attitude, he was a dependable person. Gradually, her footsteps slowed, and she eventually she stopped walking, looking upwards. Fiery blazes filled the sky as the icy blackness overtook the trees behind her, she watched as the sun slowly set over the horizon, taking with it the only warmth the forest had to offer. A slow ache travelled from her feet up her legs, pinching at her toes,and a parched feeling twinged at her throat. Even if she didn't want to stop, she knew that if she felt like this now, the others will stop soon enough. Echoes filled the forest as a distant crow squawked through the trees, filling the silence.

Within a few seconds, she heard the sound of Nora stomping through the forest. Even if the forest was as quiet as it was, it was unmistakably her, the ground crunching under her heavy footsteps and the swing of her weapon as she swung it as she walked.

"I just don't see why we have to 'ration' out our food!" she proclaimed aloud, "If we eat it all now, then we won't go hungry for ages!" Ren sighed behind her, carrying her bag, as if to stop her temptation.

"That's not how it works, you'll go hungry in just as much time, regardless of how much you eat" he stated. Spinning on her heal, the orange haired girl turned towards him, obviously unconvinced, and went to protest until she saw Ruby standing by one of the trees. A reassured smile replaced her pout, and Ruby shook her head with a smirk, used to Nora's dead end arguments.

"So I'm guessing we're all hungry then?" Ruby questioned, scanning their faces. A groan of annoyance left Jaunes lips as he rested against a tall tree, dramatically holding and stretching his foot,

"Yes, and Nora constantly talking about food is not helping!" Qrow walked out from the trees ahead of them, smirking a little, causing his niece to jump. She sighed, deciding not to question where he'd been as they exchanged looks before returning their gaze back at the other three. "Vote for setting up camp?" she smiled, as the group slowly raised their hand one by one in defeat.

One by one, Ren, Nora, Jaune, Ruby and Qrow lay back on the grass, resting their head against their bags. Staring up at the stars, the group lay silently, admiring the night that they often missed due to the lights from Beacon. The white lights seemed to fill the inky blackness of the night sky, an uncountable sea of stars stretching beyond the horizon. Other than the flickering campfire giving a comforting glow and leaving long shadows across the ground, the shattered moon shone through the forest, leaving a milky glow through the trees. Trailing her fingers over the stars, Ruby tried to remember the last time they'd been together like this, before the events that had took place. Her memory flashed scenes of their teams together, the huge food fight, the tournament, even the night of the dance. Closing her eyes, a small smile slipped onto her face, remembering Jaune in the girly dress, and how he had tried to explain that it was one of his sisters, but could barely finish his sentence without someone giggling uncontrollably. Turning to Jaune, she saw him lying staring at the stars, but he wasn't smiling. Instead, he seemed deep in thought, his eyebrows furrowed as he stared. She lay back, realising the heartache he must be feeling, and grew frustrated at herself for forgetting what had happened as guilt grew in the bottom of her stomach like a thick snake slowly wrapping around her, leaving her feeling breathless. As quickly as that heartwarming memory began, her mind flickered to Cinder like a flame in the night, the night she'd fought her at the dance and failed to recognise her behind her black outfit, how she'd so foolishly trusted her. She sat up, balling her fists in frustration and wrapping her arms around her, as the guilt grew, causing her to gasp and grip at her corset. Images of Pyrrha's last moments flashed in her memory caused tears to sting her eyes as she fought back her need to cry. The guilt that was heavy on her heart as she failed to get there in time, only left to watch her as she shot through her heart. She remembered the horrors of the tournament, the indescribable pain from seeing Penny torn apart in front of an appalled audience, her ears rang as their voices echoed in her mind, her hands covering her ears as she helplessly tried to silence them. Her eyes opened suddenly, gasping as she attempted to regain her breath, feeling a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Ruby looked up to see Nora sat in front of her, trying to put on a brave face, yet unable to hide the worry in her eyes.

"Hey, easy there, the stars aren't that scary!" she tried to joke, smiling slightly. Ruby looked down, the droplets left on her cape as her cheeks shimmered with tears, and quickly wiped her eyes, returning an attempt of a smile.

Jaune sat up and rested on his elbows, looking at her.

"What were you thinking about?" He muttered, tilting his head slightly at her. She glanced at him, before looking at the floor, knowing she couldn't avoid the conversation.

"...Pyrrha" she sighed eventually, causing even Nora to give a saddened look, as she moved closer to Ruby on the crispy leaves that lay across the ground. Jaune looked at her, his eyes piercing the space between them as he glared at her,

"Yeah, we're all feeling pretty angry about that" he spat, a spiteful tone in his voice. Ruby hugged her knees, fighting back the urge to cry.

"She should still be here today...Penny should still be here...I cant believe...shes..-" her voice got cut off as the tears slipped down her cheeks again, unable to hide her sobs as they escaped her lips. Burying her head in her knees, her cries left the group stunned, as Nora wrapped her arm around her shoulder, silently pulling her close to her. Jaune watched her, sitting up properly, but not saying a word. Nora stroked her hair reassuringly,

"Penny...I didn't know you knew her" she said in a questioning tone. Ruby looked up at her, nodding slightly.

"She...she was a close friend of mine...you could say I was her first" she smiled a little, remembering their first encounter.

"When we first met her, I don't think I've ever met anyone as happy as her. I almost didn't believe her when she told me she was a robot…" she trailed off, staring back down at her knees.

By the time she'd finished her sentence, Jaune had leapt onto his feet, towering over the two girls. "Wait, you KNEW?" he snapped, leaving echoes travelling through the trees, distant wings flapping as birds suddenly escaped the surrounding trees, causing Ruby to jump in fright. She tried to stammer for an answer, as Nora wrapped her arms around her protectively, watching the blonde boy's anger turn to disbelief. He stepped back, wrapping his arms around his head, gritting his teeth.

"This whole time...Pyrrha went to fight her and you knew what could've happened! You sat there and let it!" He turned towards her, holding his arms out as if to say "Well?". Ruby stared up at him, trying to find an answer.

"I-I didn't know they were going to fight! I tried to stop it!" she stammered.

"But you didn't, did you?" He asked bitterly. "You know, for someone whose ability is speed, you certainly miss the chance to save people a lot."

Nora rose to her feet, attempting to step up to Jaune, almost comically as she barely reached the boy's chest.

"Hey, back off!" She yelled, stepping close. "We're all upset here, but this isn't helping! It wasn't Ruby's fault Pyrrha died, or Penny died! But would either of them like to see you acting like this?" she yelled, causing Jaune to step back. He attempting to protest, when Ren stood up, raising his hand to silence the pair.

"Nora's right" Ren spoke softly, "Pointing fingers will get us nowhere. We're tired and probably still raw over what happened" Nora nodded, putting her hands on her hips with a smug smile.

"Now!" she commanded, looking up and Jaune, "Apologize!" Behind them, Qrow lay rested against a tree, his hands casually behind his head.

"Hey Toots" he yelled, causing Nora to spin around, glaring at him. He nodded his head at the empty space in which Ruby was sat. "You might want to find her first."

The kingdom of Atlas stood beyond the forest, piercing the black skies with shimmering lights. Even in the lateness of night, the nightlife of the city was surprisingly lively, with airships patrolling the skies overhead. Ruby sat at the edge of the forest, her cape wrapped tightly around her shoulders, as she watched the clockwork of the kingdom turn. Lights blurred into one another, leaving her guessing what building stood for what. Was the mix of blue lights the academy where Weiss had been taken? Was the space of darkness the Schnee Dust Company, where her family disappeared to in fear of the faunus uprising, laying in hiding? Tiredness affected her senses, causing her to close her eyes as they began to hurt against the sharp lights.

She didn't hear the slow footsteps behind her, until they tumbled clumsily through one of the bushes. Ruby didn't have to turn around as she hugged her knees tighter.

"Hey Nora." she sighed, "I'm guessing they sent you to look for me before I mess something else up?" Nora slowly stepped forward, until she slid down next to Ruby silently.

"Jaune was just upset, Ruby." she reassured her, "You know he'd never mean anything like that!" She slowly wrapped her arm around her, laying her weapon on the grass next to her. "I know it doesn't seem like it now, but it's going to be ok. You said it yourself, remember?" Ruby looked away from her wordlessly, holding her arms tight. Nora continued regardless. "Qrow said so, didn't he? We're going to find Ozpin, we just need to find him and everything will be fi-"

"I lied." Ruby cut off Nora, lowering her gaze to the crisp red leaves underneath her. Nora looked at her, looking puzzled, as Ruby continued. "I never came here to find Ozpin, Nora, do you think Qrow would bring 4 students, not even full hunters, to find a potentially dead man?" Nora paused, and attempted to stuttered for an answer, before she was interrupted yet again. "I came here to find someone more important to me." Ruby muttered, watching the kingdom and wondering how many soldiers must be patrolling the streets. No doubt the usual Atlas military, the Atlesian Knight-130, and their replacements, the Atlesian Knight-200, would have been either shut down or destroyed by now, replaced with human soldiers. Nora tilted her head, following her gaze. "Wait, you came all this way to find Weiss?" she questioned eventually, causing Ruby to shake her head, refusing to think of her past partner.

"No, even if I did, I doubt her family is letting anyone near her at the moment" She stood up, her cape trailing behind her. "Penny is out there...I know she is!" Ruby proclaimed, "And I'm going to find her!"


	2. Spiteful Lies

**Chapter 2 - Spiteful lies**

Even the busy streets of Atlas couldn't stop the icy breeze slipping through the crowds. The cogs of the world continued to turn, it seemed, unfazed by the aftermath of the months before them, and yet, an instilled sense of fear was left ingrained at every turn. Soldiers patrolled every street corner, leaving a sense of anticipation, a nonexistent enemy in waiting. Only the wind filled the silence as the world moved in a hushed scurry, gazes lowered in a rush to get to the safety of shelter. Overhead, the airships patrolled the skies, once providing a sense of safety, now only leaving a lingering sense of dread as they hunted amongst the clouds. The stars now dwindled few and far between as the light of the city drowned the heavens. It was almost saddening, Ruby thought as she walked, that the constant pursuit of advancement had left Atlas feeling out of touch with the world.

Ruby kept her hood up as she pushed past everyone, only glancing up momentarily to reassure herself she knew where she was going. Even so, the streets seemed to entwine with each other, leaving her often wondering if she was going in circles. It was hard to believe she could feel more lost in the heart of a kingdom that in the depths of the forest. Nora, on the other hand, seemed to have more confidence in herself than Ruby, taking long strides as she skipped ahead, humming a tune. Annoyed voices followed her as she effortlessly pushed past groups of people, followed by indistinctive muttering. Eventually, she did slow down, giving Ruby a chance to catch up and walk alongside her when the streets seemed to clear, giving them indication that they were getting closer to the academy.

"So!" Nora smiled "You've yet to tell me this amazing plan of how you're going to see your little robot-buddy!" She smiled at Ruby, linking arms with her as she walked.

"It's not necessarily a plan" Ruby eventually answered, pondering. "My first guess was to find Professor Ironwood. If he had repaired her, then he'd know where she is, right?" Nora nodded at the thought, but slowed down, looking at Ruby.

"Are you completely sure she's been repaired?" Nora asked in a hushed voice, almost not wanting to doubt Ruby, but her scepticism overshadowed her hope. "I mean, we saw her at the end of the fight, she was literally ripped limb from limb...do you really think they'd repair her?"

"Of course he would!" She argued. "She wasn't just one of the soldiers, she was a daughter to him. She's a technological advancement, the first synthetic entity capable of generating an aura. She wasn't a robot, she was a person!" Her words were tinged with emotion as she spoke about her, causing heads to turn as they passed her. Nora tightened her arm on hers, slowing down.

"Ok, ok!" She reassured. "If you're so sure, then I'm with you every step!" she smiled at her, giving her arm a shake, "Chill out, petal!"

Ruby took a breath, continuing to walk. "I'm sorry I just...miss her so much" her voice trailed as she leaned against Nora slightly as she walked

"I know, and we're going to find her! Now, which is they way to Ironwoods office?"

"I don't know, I was following you" she muttered, quickening her pace as Nora tugged her along. She was suddenly pulled to a halt as Nora dragged her back, looking around curiously.

"Then we better ask for directions!" She smiled.

Echoes slipped through the empty corridors of Atlas Academy, as a few straying students made their way to their dorms for the night. The two girls couldn't shake the feelings of longing, seeing students still able to carry on with their education, despite everything that had happened, while they were forced to flee as Beacon Academy was attacked. Nora had taken Ruby's hand, giving a sense of comfort as they slipped past the dorms, past classrooms and up stairways, until they stopped in front of 2 large doors. The two girls were in silent agreement that this would be Ironwoods office, as the style of the doors contrasted the rest of the school, creating a renaissance look, yet still keeping to a crystal white theme, with "Professor James Ironwood - Headmaster" written on a silver plaque on the door.

"Would you like me to go in with you?" Nora finally muttered, looking over at Ruby who remained silent as she stared at his name. Shaking her head, Ruby smiled at her reassuringly, letting go of her hand and lowering her hood.

"I'll be ok, I shouldn't be too long" She smiled at her. Nora nodded and wrapped her arms around her quickly, squeezing her a little and letting go, before stepping back smiling at her. Ruby returned the smile, before turning back at the door; the sense of anticipation grew in her stomach. Finally, she raised her hand and knocked three times, leaving lingering echoes. A silence followed, as she began to wonder if he would even be there so late at night. Finally, a voice beckoned her in, and she reached out and turned the door handle and pushed against it, Nora giving her a final thumbs up of luck.

His office was oddly a lot larger than she expected, that she was surprised she'd even been able to hear him from his desk at the other side of the office. The large windows gave the room a scenic view, as the lights of the kingdom surpassed the horizon. The desk stretched across the back of the office in a semi circle, with a risen screen above it lighting up with a number of files and images. Professor Ironwood watched the screen intently, before finally closing it and letting it drop into the desk. Ruby walked towards the desk, her boots echoed as they hit the tiles. Ironwood watched her patiently as she approached, leaning back in his seat.

"Erm, P-Professor Ironwood, my name is Ruby Rose," Ruby stammered, suddenly unsure on where to start. "I travelled here from Beacon Academy, I-I'm sorry it's so late but I came here to ask you a few questions." her voice shook as she spoke, and she swallowed hard. This moment had played in her head through her weeks travelling through the forest, and she struggled to understand why she had suddenly lost her words. He responded by sitting forward in his chair, resting his elbows on the table, and motioning to a seat in front of his desk

"Take a seat, Miss Rose" Ironwood said. Even when speaking quietly, his voice took a naturally loud tone, reaching the far corners of the office with ease. She scurried forward, quickly taking her seat at the desk.

"Now," He stared at her intently, causing her to shrink back into her seat like a scolded dog, "May I ask what you want to ask questions about?" he raised his eyebrow, watching her. She swallowed, finding her voice once again.

"Er...Penny, the girl at the tournament...You built her?" She asked, her mouth dry as she tried to find the words. The question seemed to catch him off guard as he suddenly sat up, clearing his throat as he collected an answer.

"I led the team behind her development, yes" he answered quickly, yet sternly. He had expected questions, but this has been a number of months since he was pressed for answers by numerous groups. It had been easy for him to assume the topic had been laid to rest, yet now it had arose again, he was oddly left struggling to give a straight answer.

"I knew Penny for a long time, Mr Ironwood" Ruby eventually answered, answering his questions before he had the chance to ask them. "I'm very sorry about her death, but you understand, she meant a lot to me as well…" her gaze lowered slightly, as Ironwood began to feel sympathy for her. Watching her for a few seconds, he slowly began to recognise her prominent features, as he looked down at her cape and her outfit.

"You..." he muttered to himself, causing Ruby to look up. "You were the girl at the docks." She thought back to the night she'd first seen Penny fight, how she was left baffled by her strength and abilities when she first assumed she was human, and gave him a quick nod. Before he had the chance to push any questions about that night, she continued.

"She was destroyed at the fight, but has your team had any thoughts of repairing her?" Ruby asked, watching him. Even with his calm approach, it was easy to see the question had caused him to panic slightly, his eyes widening. He hesitated, but sighed, reaching into his jacket and pulling out a flask, unscrewing and pouring most of the contents into a half full coffee mug in front of him and returning it to his pocket. The coffee cup met his lips as he took long gulps, warming his stomach and burning at his throat, closing his eyes, before placing the now empty mug in his desk, and standing up. Ruby watched the whole thing, unsure on how to respond, as she waited for his answer.

"Ruby Rose, I'm not sure what you're hoping for right now, but the world is in a state of war." He answered finally, "Do you really think I have the time to be building robotic experiments, when the majority of my soldiers have either been destroyed or shut down?" the underlying anger in his voice caught her off guard, and he continued before she could answer. "Penny Polendina was a chance for my students to expand past robotics and build something more than soldiers. My kingdom is currently facing grimm attacks, the White Fang and the loss of a maiden. Frankly I dont have the time to pursue experiments, I have a kingdom to protect."

Ruby rose to her feet, causing her seat to fall back. "She was more than an experiment!" She yelled, balling her hands into fists. "She was your daughter!"

"That's ENOUGH!" Ruby stumbled back, surprised by his outburst. Sighing, he returned his arms behind his back and lowered his voice. "In answer to your question, no, we have had no thoughts of rebuilding Penny."

Pain shot through Ruby's chest, feeling the tears form at the corner of her eyes. Ironwood silently returned to his seat and lifted his screen up once more, not giving her a glance.

"If that will be all, Miss rose, then may I ask you to leave?" It was more of a command than a question, and Ruby nodded silently, turning around. As she turned, however, her eyes were drawn to a full trash can at the end of his desk. It was filled with blueprints, some ripped up and others simply screwed up and chucked there. One, however, had fallen to the side, just visible to her. On it, a sketch of a robot prototype was easy to make out, too small to be a soldier, yet still human like in proportions. Ruby slowed, staring at it for a few seconds, before looking back up at Ironwood, who had gone back to reading reports on his screen. It was easy to see that she wasn't going to get anywhere with him, as she turned and stormed out of his office, making sure to slam the door hard enough to frustrate him.

Nora was stood patiently next to the door, raising an eyebrow at Ruby's flustered look. She slowly approached, tilting her head.

"So how'd it go?" she asked, "Everything hunky-dorey?"

"Not yet" Ruby muttered through gritted teeth, grabbing Nora's arm and rushing through the corridors, dragging her behind her.


	3. Stolen Hearts

p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"Lies./p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"Ruby's hard footsteps hit the floorboards, her teeth gritting in rage./p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"Sick lies!/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"She blinked back the tears as she ran, a fluster of rose petals leaving her cape on every turn, darting left and right, scanning each door, each turn, each corridor for any sign of direction. Her head flustered for questions, for answers, while the lack of any clear explanation caused her to break into a sprint, convincing herself that the clues were somewhere hidden away. It wasn't until she felt the tugging on her hand grow harder when she realised she had been dragging Nora the whole way around the academy. Petals fell to the ground silently as she slowed down, her head still darting around the corridors./p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;""H-hey...Petal?" Nora attempted to gasp between breaths. "I-is there any...chance we could...slow down?" She held the wall with one hand as she leaned against her knee, taking long breaths as her face flushed. Ruby turned to her, her shoulders finally slumping./p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;""I'm sorry, it's just...I know she's here! This is where she was built!" Ruby proclaimed, looking down the corridors. "They wouldn't just give up on her!"/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"Nora looked up, walking closer and putting her hand on Ruby's shoulder, feeling her shake in a mix of anger and confusion./p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;""Did he tell you otherwise?" she muttered. Ruby hesitated to answer, before eventually slowly nodding, bowing her head to avoid eye contact as she finally felt the threatening tears slip down her cheeks. Her heart was set on that final happy ended, until she had refused to admit when she was in denial, skipping down the dangerous path of ignorance, driven by the animosity against those who stood in her path. Nora sighed, taking Ruby by the shoulders and pulling her towards her, holding her close. At first Ruby stayed still, trying to maintain the strength she'd fought to upkeep, before slumping into her arms, resting her head into her shoulder as she struggled to control the sobs that left her. Exhaustion set into her as she began to realise just how tired she was, how late the night had dragged through, how much travelling she'd done today. Craving the embrace she received as a child to calm her cries, her arms weakly wrapped around her teammates waist, allowing herself to feel comfort for the first time in weeks. Nora silently held her, running her hands through her hair and whispering comforting words to her, as if she was a small child. The girls shared each other's embrace for a few minutes in the empty corridor, until they heard the distant approach of footsteps. Suddenly, Nora twisted her around by her shoulders and pulled her backwards against the wall of one of the corridors, holding her close to her./p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;""H-hey! What are y-" Ruby's protests were silenced by a hand covering her mouth, Nora glanced around the turn before hitting her back against the wall once more, shushing her./p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"Two guards marched in unison down the corridor, not giving the girls a glance. Between them, a boy in a white lab coat read through notes, muttering to himself as he flicked through the pages and tapped his pen against the clipboard in frustration. Nora held her breath as she watched them as they disappeared down the corridor, before finally releasing Ruby from her grasp./p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;""What was that for?" Ruby turned and yelled, quickly wiping her eyes on her sleeve. Nora kept watching them down the corridor, thinking to herself./p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;""Why would a student need two security guards with him?" she asked aloud, finally moving her gaze to Ruby, who replied with a confused face. "He couldn't possibly need that much security if he was simply studying, right?"./p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;""You think they're hiding Penny? She asked, in which Nora replied with a shrug./p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;""It's worth a check, don't you think?" She smiled reassuringly at Ruby, "Like you said, they wouldn't just give up on her, and if you haven't, then neither have I!" Ruby's eyes lit up as she quickly wiped her eyes, returning to her usual look of optimism. She twisted on her heel and almost gave chase, when she was dragged back by her hood./p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;""Woah, slow down Petal, if they see us, they won't let us follow them!" she smirked, moving her finger to her lips. "Let's solve this mystery!"/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"-/span/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;""Mechatronic Engineering?" the two girls muttered in unison, reading the plaques on the lecture hall doors. They hid behind the turn in the wall, watching as guards lined the walls, weapons defensively at the ready. Occasionally they'd turn to watch a student as they passed, before returning to their stance. Nora let out a groan in frustration, scanning each of the classrooms for signs./p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;""So, one of these rooms must have your friend in them…the question is which?" she spoke quietly, comically pretending to adjust a monocle on her eye. /p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;""I don't know Nora...What if you're right?" Ruby muttered, moving away and resting against the wall with a defeated sigh "I mean, what if you're right to be skeptical. Ironwood told me she's gone...What if I'm just being ridiculous?"/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;""Then you make me pancakes to say sorry" She smiled at her jokingly in reply. "You had so much hope the entire way here! If she's down there, she's down there, if she isn't...we're going to be known as the worst detectives in Atlas! I can live with that!"/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"Ruby laughed a little, deciding to play along just a little bit longer for Nora./p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;""So...how are we going to get rid of them?" She pondered, turning to Nora. Before she could even think of a suggestion, Nora stood confidently with her Magnhild resting on her shoulder and her hand on her hip./p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;""Leave that to me!" She said with a smirk, and before Ruby could protest, she slipped past the turn to an open unoccupied door. Ruby could only hold her breath as she heard something be scraped against the floor and lifted with a heave. Some of the guards turned in curiosity and began to approach the door. With a kick, Nora jumped out of the room, a large battery pack under one arm and her weapon in the other, a range of wires linking the two as the hammer sparked and crackled./p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;""Hey boys!" She yelled, skipping past them while twirling Magnhild like a baton. They slowly approached her once they saw the pack resting on her hip, until one put his hand out, reaching to grab her arm; within a blink of an eye, she had spun on her toes, twirling her hammer and slamming it into the side of his head. A wave of bolts of lightening following as his head smashed, and his robotic body slumped to the floor like a heap of scrap metal. Every guard suddenly came to attention, holding out their weapons close to their chest as they turned towards her./p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;""Aw, it's bwoken!" she pouted, leaning forwards to look closer to the guards slumped body. Raising her head, her eyes darted between the small army forming around her./p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;""HALT!" One commanded, its weapon aimed at her. Nora smiled and jumped up, twisting and landing on one of his back, before he had time to re-position his aim./p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;""Tag! You're it!" She sang gleefully, before jumping back to the ground and sprinting. The army sprang up, chasing her like a pack of wolves, until the corridor was left empty./p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"Ruby moved quickly, slipping through the corridor and trying each door. Many were empty, few contained students, who responded with a confused glance, until she got to one that was heavily locked. Her eyes scanned the intricate system; she quickly concluded that it was a scroll recognition system, which used students profiles to gain them access to the facilities. Ruby reached into her pocket, pulling hers out and opening it, flicking through the range of contacts. Hesitating, she got up Weiss's profile, which was saved onto her scroll along with her old teammates. She saw that her profile had since been updated, that she had begun studying at Atlas Academy, with the school symbol shown on her profile. Her picture now showed her with a straight ponytail, and even through her stern approach, it was easy to see the pain behind her sorrowful eyes as she had stared at the camera. Ruby quickly shook her head, refusing to let herself reminisce about her partner, and quickly let the system run its scanner over the scroll. It immediately displayed a green tick as she heard multiple locks click. Placing the scroll back into her pocket, she pushed her weight against the mechanical door, which seemed more suitably designed to be opened by robotic guards than a student. /p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"Still darkness filled the room, with faint coloured lights illuminating an array of buttons and notes scattered across tables. A gentle hum along with occasional beeps came from all corners of the classroom, as numerous computers displayed files, graphs and coding. Ruby's eyes struggled to adjust to the darkness, and the lights left by the machinery only added to the difficulty as they struggled to focus. Clumsily, she patted her hand across the wall until it came to what felt like a light switch, and with a flick, the room instantly filled with light. Blinking, she looked up, gasping as she nearly stumbled back through the door./p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"Penny stood hung up on the wall, like a doll waiting to be played with. Her eyes stayed closed as an array of wires were fed into her body. Different numbers, graphs and data displayed on the many monitors around her, endless indecipherable codes ran down the screens. Even with all this around her, she stood silently, like a sleeping child awaiting morning. Ruby could do nothing more but stagger forwards, carefully stepping over the maze of wires leading up to her. Her hand trailed across her outfit, noticing how it contrasted her previous childish outfit. She wore a straight button up shirt with a green tie, properly pressed, with a uniform like grey pinafore dress. Ruby noticed how she looked less like the childish girl she remembered, but more of the militaristic look Ironwood dressed his army in./p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"Anger twinged in her stomach as she remembered the lies he'd told her. First he had lied to the world pretending she was human, now he had lied to them again. She gritted her teeth as she remembered his completely disregard of how she'd felt, how he lied straight to her face, about his own daughter's life.../p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"What kind of Father was he?/p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"She had little time to think about him when she heard the approach of footsteps down the long corridors. Instinctively, she began grabbing and pulling wires out of her, monitors beeping loudly in response as their codes halted. Alarms began ringing across the rooms as red lights began flashing. Adrenaline shot through her veins as she desperately grabbed Penny and ripped her body from the wall, causing her to slump against her shoulders like a rag doll. Twisting her so she was carrying her bridal style, the room filled with rose petals as she turned and sprinted out the door before it could automatically close and lock behind her, the lock pad flashing red./p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"Her feet barely met the ground as she sprinted as fast as she could, past students, teachers and guards alike. She didn't let herself turn around to see the reaction, assuming the guards in charge of Penny's safety had given chase. Darting through corridors and down stairs, she gripped Penny to her chest, trying to ignore how heavy she was in comparison to a person. Eventually, she found her way to the courtyard, where she was forced to dig her heels into the ground as she skidded to a halt, almost stumbling forward. Guards covered every exit, surrounding her, their weapons aimed. Turning back, there was a click of weapons behind her, a wall of guards closing in on her. She barely had time to react when a rain of pink bullets showered down, followed by the collapse of the first wave of robots, as Nora leapt from the roof and landed in front of Ruby./p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;""You know, that scythe would come in handy right about now" Nora gave her a cheery smile and a wink, before jumping ahead, twirling her weapon back into her hammer and running ahead. "Did you miss me boys?" she sang, leaping forward with a twirl of her hammer. Ruby smirked and twisted Penny so she was slumped against her back with her legs either side, Crescent Rose unfurling and taking its signature form. Gripping Penny's body with one arm, she ran forwards, darting between guards as she dodged their strikes, using her ammunition to tear through their armour like as if it were nothing but fabric. Months of defending herself against grimm came to play as she fought with precision, the world almost slowing down as she darted between their steps, jumping over strikes, kicking, twisting and swinging as if it was all routine. By the time a shot was fired, she'd have dodged it, and would be busy shooting through the guard that that the bullet came from. Ruby got lost in the freedom of the fight when she felt a grip on her wrist. Twisting, Nora easily shot a heart shaped wave of grenades at the guards, before dragging Ruby with her as they began running through the streets together./p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"Every guard turned to Ruby and Nora as they darted past, their weapons at the ready as they gave chase. People turned in the streets at the sight of both of them, easily recognising the robot on the hooded girls back. The two didn't stop running until they were far into the forest, the shadows of the trees aiding their hiding. They ran until they could no longer hear the chasing footsteps behind them, until they were well out of range of any heat sensing or night vision technology. Stumbling through the bushes and trees, they fought exhaustion as they dragged themselves through the forest./p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p  
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"It wasn't until Ruby finally lay Penny down that she let herself slumped against Nora as they slid to the floor. The reassurance of the silent forest calmed her as she caught her breath, slipping easily to a slumber against the cold leaves in front of the flickering embers of the campfire./p 


End file.
